Sfreddo Damascus Bowie

Marcel54

Marcel54

Joined
Jul 30, 2005
Messages
1,857
A while back I ordered a Bowie from Rodrigo (which is inspired by one of the best Bowies ever made by Jerry Fisk IMHO). The last couple of days Rodrigo send me a few (not all that clear) pics of the knife and sheath. The incomparable Stephen F. already offered to take some better pics as soon as it arrives over here. When they are ready we will share them with you'll.
The steels used are O1 and L10, the blade is 9,5 inches with a wolfteeth pattern, the fittings are all damascus and the handle is a nice piece of walrus ivory.

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The best part of this is that I don't have to pay for it. One of my best friends when he heard that this knife was incoming arranged it so that he'll pick up the tab for it. I did him a (rather huge) favor a while back but I didn't wanted something in return and this is what he did. It's great to have such friends:thumbup: .

As icing on the cake he offered me to have it scrimmed by one of the best (Matt Stothart). Although I like the idea I'm not sure about it in the sense of what it will do to the appearance of the knife. I must say that I will never ever sell this piece for obvious reasons, so I'm not even considering "resell value" or "investment loss" or what so ever.

What do you guys think about scrimshaw in general and scrimming a Bowie like this in particular.


Marcel

Edited: This is the inspiration piece by Jerry Fisk

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"What do you guys think about scrimshaw in general and scrimming a Bowie like this in particular."

1. While a beautiful art form in its' own right, I can't stand scrimshaw on knives.

2. It would look horrible and out of place on a bowie like this. You have a "working pattern" bowie, not really an art knife. Scrimshaw inherently curbs the use of the knife that it is on, IMNSHO.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Beautiful knife! Rodrigo does such terrific work and this one came together exceptionally well. I'm pretty sure I know the Fisk knife you're talking about, but it would be neat to see a pic of the inspirational piece if you have one.

I'm with STeven 100% on the scrimshaw issue.

Roger
 
No scrim, it will mess up the simple and elegant lines making it too busy.

It will also clash/fight with the damascus.
 
I was lucky enough to pick up a Damascus Sfreddo right here on the forums a while back,Curly Maple,nothing as exotic as Walrus Ivory though.
Gorgeous Bowie. :thumbup:
I'm with these guys on scrimming it, I wouldn't.
That Fisk is KILLER!! :eek:

Doug :)
 
What a great gift Marcel, beautiful knife. I'm with the rest concerning the scrimshaw. It would distract the attention from the damascus and ruin the nice walrus ivory. I think the knife is in balance right now.
 
Pretty much what everyone what else said, I'd pass on the scrim. Heck of a nice bowie - I really love that clamshell guard.
 
I like scrimshaws on knives - I like scrims rather more than engraving to be frank. It's important to match the quality of the knife with the quality of the embellishment. In this specific case, I am not sure the Sfreddo knife would be the right canvas. Maybe a free standing scrm would be more appropriate.

Not to belittle Sfreddo's skills, but those pics are a great way to explain the difference between a talented maker and a super talented and experienced maker. Fisk's lines are infinitely more elegant, especially around the guard.
 
Joss said:
Not to belittle Sfreddo's skills, but those pics are a great way to explain the difference between a talented maker and a super talented and experienced maker. Fisk's lines are infinitely more elegant, especially around the guard.
Click to expand...

That is where you and I differ, Joss.

With the exception of the damascus on the Sfreddo, I like the overall knife flow much better than the Fisk.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Congrats on your beautiful knife! I think my feelings about adulterating such a beautiful piece of ivory were noted here on another thread (checkering :D ), so I vote a hearty NO to the scrim!
 
Scrim is usually not a good idea, if there is any chance that you might resell the knife.
If your heart is set on it, I would suggest something that would just highlight the piece and not overwhelm it.

This is an example of what I might consider.

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I am with Garrson (may God help me) on the preference for Sfredo's overall design.

The key element, imho, is that the Sfredo blade was built to flow harmoniously with the specific piece of ivory. The piece of ivory used on the Fisk is too just small for the blade, and simply doesn't look right.

P
 
I think both of those knives are straight up gorgeous.

I like the overall geometry and lines on the Sfreddo quite a bit more than the Fisk.

No way would I wanna cover this handsome knife handle with scrimshaw.
 
I think that the Sfreddo piece is an excellent knife as it stands, my preference would be to not have it scrimmed. I look forward to examining it and doing a quick bait and switch:D :p

Stephen
 
I like the overal profile of the Sfreddo more than the Fisk too, but agree with Joss that the lines and curves on Fisk's guards are much more elegant.

And no scrimshaw.
 
Thanks guys for all the input. You'll confirmed my own feelings about the scrimshaw. I'm not letting the knife be scrimmed, but maybe a nice free standing scrim on a display stand by Fredericks, who knows.

I'm not going to discuss the differences in quality or style between both knives. They both have their own qualities. Although I must say that I like the flow of the guard on the Fisk knive just a bit better but for the overall flow of the knife my vote goes to Rodrigo. Because I agree with P on this.
The piece of ivory used on the Fisk is too just small for the blade, and simply doesn't look right.
Click to expand...

I look forward to examining it and doing a quick bait and switch
Click to expand...
Stephen, if the switchee (is that a word??) is named Dunn or Newton I might be turning a blind eye.;)

Marcel
 
The Fisk shows me much more of the knifemakers art, and I do prefer it, but there are some things about the Sfreddo I like very much.
 
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